What I Need and What the Poor Deserve: Analyzing the Gap between the Minimum Income Needed for Oneself and the View of an Adequate Norm for Social Assistance

In this article, people's assessment of an adequate poverty line is contrasted against the minimum income they can accept for themselves. The analyses are related to theoretical assumptions about adaptation of preferences, risk exposure, and welfare-state attitudes. It is shown that adaptation of preference increases the “evaluation gap” between the two measures. Risk exposure generally does not lead to a more generous evaluation of the poverty line or to a narrower evaluation gap. Positive sentiments toward redistribution are connected with a generous assessment of the poverty line and a small evaluation gap. Those who believe that welfare benefits are misused have a restrictive view of both the poverty line and the minimum income they can accept for themselves.